Next Goal Wins (2023)
Director: Taika Waititi
Screenwriters: Taika Waititi, Iain Morris
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, Ioane Goodhue
Taika Waititi built his reputation on films that mix humor with real emotional weight, often centering Indigenous and Pacific Islander stories. From Boy, which examines childhood hero worship and abandonment, to Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which traces the unlikely bond between a troubled kid and his reluctant guardian, Waititi’s voice is distinctive: sharp, playful, and tender. His work often brings attention to characters and cultures underserved by mainstream cinema, and his lighter moments usually sit beside genuine affection for his subjects.
Waititi has also taken on mainstream studio fare, most notably with Thor: Ragnarok, which refreshed the Marvel tone with a brisk comedic approach and bold visuals, and Thor: Love and Thunder, which received a more mixed response. As his profile has grown, so have the expectations and scrutiny around his stylistic choices. Next Goal Wins, his adaptation of a true underdog sports story, reveals some limits to his formula. The film has warmth and funny beats, but it often leans too heavily on self-aware narration and quirky framing devices, and these choices can distract from the story and the people at its heart.
Next Goal Wins follows the real-life tale of American Samoa’s national soccer team, long considered one of the weakest in international play, and the disgraced coach Thomas Rongen (played by Michael Fassbender) who is hired to turn the team around. The premise is fertile: underdogs, cultural clashes, and the chance to explore identity, pride, and community. Early scenes promise this potential: the island’s warmth and eccentric local culture are on display, and moments that foreground community spirit are genuinely appealing. A sequence in which Rongen is greeted by a local television show and introduced to Tavita, the island’s amiable camera operator and soccer advocate, captures the small-island intimacy and humor that could have grounded the film.
Still, the movie often re-centers the narrative around Rongen in ways that blunt its emotional impact. Where the story could have offered a richer ensemble portrait of the players and their lives, it too frequently reduces them to supporting beats in Rongen’s redemptive arc. The result sometimes feels like a familiar “white savior” framing: an outsider arrives to unlock the potential of local characters, who are given limited interiority beyond their role in the coach’s transformation. This dynamic undercuts several opportunities for deeper character exploration and cultural specificity.
One conspicuous missed opportunity involves Jaiyah Saelua (credited in the film as Kaimana), a real fa’afafine athlete whose presence enriches the true story. Jaiyah’s identity as fa’afafine—a Samoan cultural category often described as a third gender or a recognized transgender identity—creates space for a meaningful exploration of inclusion, acceptance, and the complications trans and fa’afafine athletes face on and off the field. In the film, however, that narrative is sidelined. Jaiyah’s character is positioned more as a device to teach the coach tolerance than as a fully developed individual with agency and a life beyond the needs of the lead character’s arc. That choice dilutes the film’s potential emotional stakes and makes its themes feel less lived-in and urgent.
Other moments demonstrate the film’s strengths: supporting performances by local actors and community-centered scenes feel warm and authentic, and Waititi’s comedic instincts yield several genuinely funny beats. Oscar Kightley’s Tavita delivers charm and quiet gravitas, and some of the ensemble’s chemistry is heartfelt, particularly when the film allows players to speak and act without being reshaped to fit a single narrative lens. Yet the pacing and constant reliance on quippy narration or stylistic wink often prevent these scenes from accumulating into something more affecting.
There are also tonal inconsistencies. The movie shifts between slapstick and sentimental moments in ways that sometimes undercut emotional resonance. A sequence in which a player’s earnest family story is cut off for a laugh, while later the team listens solemnly to Rongen reveal a personal tragedy, highlights the film’s uneven priorities: some characters’ interior lives are dismissed for levity while others are kept as vehicles for sympathy. This imbalance contributes to a sense that the film cares more about rendering an uplifting arc for its protagonist than about fully honoring the people whose real-life struggles inspired the story.
For viewers seeking a light, occasionally touching sports comedy, Next Goal Wins will offer pleasing moments and a few heartfelt performances. But for those hoping for a more nuanced portrait of community, identity, and resilience—especially one that centers the voices and agency of American Samoan players—the film is a frustratingly partial adaptation. Waititi’s directorial voice remains distinctive and frequently enjoyable, but here it sometimes obscures the richer emotional material waiting underneath.
Score: 8/24
Rating: 1 out of 5.